The potential for organ transplants to extend lifespan to 150 years is under discussion among experts.
In the realm of medical advancements, the pursuit of a longer, healthier life has been a topic of great interest for scientists and researchers worldwide. This article explores various strategies being considered, from organ transplants to gene editing, and the ongoing debates surrounding their potential for extending human lifespan.
Organ transplants, a medical marvel since their inception in the mid-1950s, have saved and improved the lives of over 800,000 patients in the United States since national recording began in 1988. However, organ rejection is a significant concern, and immunosuppressant drugs are employed to manage the immune response and avoid organ rejection. Regrettably, these drugs can have serious side effects, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and even cancer over the long-term.
Despite the advances in organ transplantation, it is not viewed as a viable strategy for living longer by some experts. Nir Barzilai, a professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, suggests that gene editing, anti-aging drugs, and stem cell therapies may hold more promise. He even envisions a treatment that will one day erase signs of aging.
Other strategies being explored include growing organs from human stem cells, developing lab-grown "mini-organs" called organoids, and deploying 3D bioprinting to produce organs on demand. However, the global demand for transplant organs far exceeds the supply, making widespread organ upgrades to live longer unfeasible.
In an effort to address this issue, scientists are working on remedying the high costs of organ transplants. Additionally, gene editing techniques like CRISPR are being used to genetically modify pig organs, making them effectively "rejection-free."
As we age, our bodies become less resilient, making it harder to bounce back after surgery, withstand physical stressors, and fight infections. This is a significant factor to consider when discussing the potential for organ transplants to extend lifespan.
Experts do not agree on whether it will be possible to live to 150 years old, and the debate continues. Some, like Arthur Caplan, a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, state that organ transplantation is not the road to immortality.
Meanwhile, other notable figures, such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, have discussed the possibility of using organ transplants and modern medicine to potentially achieve immortality during their meeting in Beijing.
It's important to note that none of these strategies have been deployed for large-scale clinical use. Transcriptional medicine, which uses technologies like mRNA, CRISPR, and cellular reprogramming to change the way genes are expressed, is moving faster than the field of organ transplantation.
Alejandro Soto-Gutierrez believes that the real future of expanding lifespan lies in techniques that reprogram old diseased organs. As the field of aging research continues to evolve, it is clear that the quest for a longer, healthier life will remain a captivating and ongoing endeavour.
